The present invention relates to an electric connector suitable for press-connecting a sheathed wire, and a method for manufacturing such an electric connector.
An electronic instrument, which has been desired to be reduced in size particularly thickness in height, often employs a sheathed wire (which is hereinafter referred to as a cable) as a wiring member, in which two or more conductive wire elements are twisted together to form a core conductor and the periphery of the core conductor is covered with an insulative sheath. As a method for connecting such cables, Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-345640A discloses an electric connector which collectively press-connects two or more cables without using soldering.
Specifically, the above electric connector comprises: a housing formed with an opening; a plurality of contacts, each of which is formed with a blade portion, arranged within the housing; and a cover-shaped presser movably supported on the housing. A plurality of cables are inserted into the housing from the opening. When the presser is moved so as to close the opening, each of the cables is pressed against the blade portion of an associated one of the contacts, thereby collectively connecting the cables with the contacts.
In an electronic instrument of which cost reduction is required, there has been also increasing the need for enhancement in the efficiency of the connecting operation of an electric connector used in the interior of the electronic instrument. Therefore, it is desired that the electric connector is able to cope with this need as well as can enhance the reliability of the connection thereof.
In the above publication, it is described that the blade portion may extend perpendicularly to or in parallel to the cable inserted in the housing. In a case where the blade portion extends perpendicularly to the cable and a strong pressing force is applied by the actuation of the presser, a blade edge of the blade portion may excessively bite into the core conductor, thereby deteriorating the conductivity of the core conductor or, in an extreme case, cutting off the core conductor. In a case where the blade portion extends in parallel to the cable, the blade edge tends to slip on the periphery of the cable sideways, so that the blade edge cannot bite into the core conductor properly and a reliable electrical connection cannot be established. Especially when a solid sheathe is used to enhance the stiffness of the cable, such slip is likely to occur more easily.
The above electric connector further comprises a connecting member adapted to connected with a contact of a mating connector, and extending in parallel to the blade portion. In a case where the electric connector is disposed on a circuit board such that the connecting member is made parallel to the circuit board, an installation area including the mating connector becomes large, thereby hindering the size reduction requirement.